Unions plan NHS-wide strike over pensions

Swaths of NHS could be shut down by Christmas as failure of government talks on pensions now ‘almost inevitable’ Unions representing staff at every level of the health service are meeting tomorrow to plan the first NHS-wide strike, in anticipation that current negotiations with the government over public sector pensions will fail by the autumn. Doctors, nurses, midwives, hospital administrators and cleaners will discuss plans to shut down swaths of the NHS in industrial action which could take place by Christmas if negotiations fail. One official representing 460,000 NHS staff in the talks said the prospect of failure felt “almost inevitable” and claimed ministers had refused to budge on the most fundamental issues – increasing members’ contributions and delaying the retirement age. Unison, whose 1.4 million members include 460,000 NHS workers, is hosting the meeting in London which will also be attended by the British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing and British Dental Association as well as other major unions representing health workers including the GMB and Unite. The written agenda includes discussion of “possible future industrial action” including the nature of potential strikes, legal issues and the provision of emergency cover. Unison said it was “hoping for the best but planning for the worst” in relation to the outcome of pension talks with the government. Christina McAnea, the union’s national secretary for health said: “There has never been full-scale industrial action in the health service. This is the first time all the groups have come together to talk about it. Industrial action in the NHS could be massive. “We want to have things in place early, to make sure we can cover everything and ensure we minimise problems for patients. But it almost feels this is inevitable.” The first week in November is being mooted for strike action by some of the civil service and teaching unions that walked out in June, but it is unlikely an NHS strike would take place at the same time. None of the health unions have balloted members for strike action and are unlikely to do so before government talks conclude at the end of October – unless the negotiations collapse before then. Pension talks have been ongoing throughout the summer on a sector-by-sector basis, with some making more progress than others. Unions will be told each sector’s pension settlement either at or after a joint meeting with ministers on 8 September. Brian Strutton, the GMB’s national secretary for public services said he believed only talks on the local government pension scheme currently had any chance of success. The local government scheme is fully funded, meaning contributions from the employer and employee go into an investment fund with £140bn of assets currently covering all payments. If contributions rise too sharply the lowest paid could opt out and cause the fund to collapse. Ministers have already signalled they will be sympathetic to the sector. The health, civil service and education schemes are unfunded. However, Strutton was optimistic ministers may be persuaded that some recent government financial gains could count towards the pensions savings target. Unite is also holding a summit with key officials and shop stewards . It said the government would have to change its approach if there was to be any breakthrough. “The problem with all the talks is that they don’t really resemble genuine negotiations because for a long time the government has been completely inflexible in its approach,” said Gail Cartmail, assistant general secretary of Unite which represents around 250,000 public sector workers. Cartmail added that ballot preparations are ongoing. Teachers’ unions are particularly worried that members will be squeezed from all sides if a special deal is made for local government and the lowest paid public sector workers are protected from the highest increases in pension contributions, as ministers have already promised. Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers which walked out earlier this yearfor the first time said: “The talks are in good faith but it’s difficult to see where room for negotiation is. Teachers are caught between a rock and a hard place and get the worst deal of all.” A Department of Health spokeswoman said even after reform the NHS pension would remain one of the best and that the lowest paid workers would be protected. “The status quo is not sustainable with people living much longer, substantially increasing the cost to the taxpayer,” she said. “Constructive talks on pensions are still ongoing. It would be very wrong to make assumptions about their outcome.” Public sector pensions NHS Pensions Trade unions Liberal-Conservative coalition Polly Curtis Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.